The present invention relates to a wheel cover having a metallic wire ring provided on a synthetic resin cover body.
Hitherto, a wheel cover shown in FIG. 8 has been ordinarily used as a wheel cover for covering an outer surface part of a vehicle, for example, an automobile. That is, a cover body 2 is formed from a synthetic resin and shaped in such a manner as to have plural mounting claws 4 and plural ring supporters 5 provided on the rear surface of a main body 3 and arranged in the circumferential direction thereof so that each of the mounting claws 4 is spaced from a corresponding one of the ring supporters 5. A necessary coating is applied on a surface of this formed cover body 2. On the other hand, a wire ring 6 is formed like an endless ring by bending a metallic wire like a circle and welding both ends of the metallic wire to each other. This wire ring 6 is moved forward from the back-side of the cover body 2, as indicated by an arrow A. Then, the wire ring 5 is pushed into a mounting part 8 that is formed from the mounting claws 4 and the ring supporters 4, and that is provided on a portion located inwardly in the radial direction of the mounting claws 4 (that is, at the central side of the cover body 2).
With this configuration, in a disc wheel 9 of the automobile shown in FIG. 9, the mounting claws 4 are engaged with an annular concave portion 10a of a rim 10 by being pushed thereinto. At that time, the wire ring 6 restrains the mounting claws 4 from deforming in a direction toward the center of the cover body 2, that is, in a direction in which the mounting claws 4 are disengaged. Consequently, the mounting claws 4 are firmly engaged with the annular concave portion 10a of the rim 10. Thus, the wheel cover 1 is attached to the disc wheel 9. The cover body 2 covers an outer surface part of the disc wheel 9 by the main body 3. Incidentally, reference numeral 11 designates a tire attached to the disc wheel 9.
The conventional wheel cover 1 needs performing a step of additionally attaching the wire ring 6 to the formed and coated cover body 2. Thus, the productivity thereof is poor, so that the cost thereof becomes high.
The invention is accomplished in view of the aforementioned circumstances. Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide a wheel cover enabled to enhance the productivity thereof, and to reduce the thickness of the cover body, and also enabled to decrease the cost thereof and to reduce the weight thereof.
To achieve the foregoing object, according to the invention, there is provided a wheel cover (hereunder referred to as a first wheel cover of the invention) that comprises a metallic wire ring, and a synthetic resin cover body that is die-formed by inserting this wire ring thereinto, that has a mounting claw provided on a peripheral part thereof and restrained by the wire ring from deforming toward the center thereof, and that is attached to a disc wheel of a vehicle by this mounting claw in such a way as to cover an outer surface part of this disc wheel.
According to the first wheel cover of the invention, the cover body is die-formed by inserting the wire ring thereinto. Thus, there is no need for additionally attaching a wire ring to the cover body.
Further, the cover body die-formed by inserting the wire ring thereinto is restrained by the wire ring from causing deformation, such as warpage, just after the die-forming thereof. Thus, there is no necessity for cooling the cover body by placing the cover body in a forming die for a long time. Consequently, the forming cycle time can be reduced.
Moreover, the stiffness of the cover body die-formed by inserting the wire ring thereinto is enhanced. Thus, the thickness of the cover body can be reduced for that.
In this case, more preferably, according to an embodiment of the first wheel cover of the invention, the wire ring is an opened wire ring. Further, the cover body has a holder formation part formed in such a manner as to have a shape adapted to enclose and hold both end parts of the wire ring by being in intimate contact therewith.
As described above, the wire ring restrains the cover body from deforming in a direction in which the mounting claw is engaged therewith and disengaged therefrom. Thus, it is necessary that the wire ring is endless and annular (incidentally, when the wire ring is opened and annular, the wire ring bends, so that the cover body cannot restrain the mounting claw thereof from deforming in the direction in which the mounting claw is engaged therewith and disengaged therefrom).
Thus, with this configuration, an opened wire ring can be changed to an endless annular one by using the holder formation part of the cover body. Thus, the mounting claw of the cover body can be reliably restrained from deforming in the direction in which the mounting claw is engaged therewith and disengaged therefrom. Additionally, this can be achieved without welding both end parts of the wire ring to each other. Furthermore, the holder formation part has a function of preventing the exposure of both end surfaces of the wire ring. Thus, both end surfaces of the wire ring are prevented from rusting. Consequently, the necessity for performing a rust prevention process on both end surfaces of the wire ring can be eliminated.